Transnational: Eat fresh

I think this Subway franchise will have to use its second slogan: The Way A Sandwich Should Be because the Eat fresh may not work in a place like Antigua Guatemala, where most places serve REAL fresh food. With all of these transnational fast-food restaurants in La Antigua Guatemala, we still have to make a run for the border or drive to Guatemala City if we’d like to think outside the bun while enjoying a bean and cheese burrito.

Transnational: Send Money Worldwide

The money movers of the world are everywhere and yet they are invisible, very much like the undocumented worker who feeds it. Western Union moves money, lots of it, and I mean LOTS OF IT. Money transfers are known as Remesas in Spanish and it is a word that was not very popular or widely … Read more

Transnational: Oil for the People

PDV stands for Petroleos de Venezuela (Venezuelan Oil). To put the oil resources to the service and well-being of the country; to build a new economic and social model, ending inequalities… reads the introductory paragraph on Oil for the people section at the PDVSA site. SA part of the name stands for Sociedad Anónima, which … Read more

Transnational: Health for all

Dr. Simi is Mexico’s transnational Farmacias Similares (Similar Pharmacies) mascot. Farmacias Similares has made their business to take generic medicine to the poor under the slogan: “Lo mismo pero más barato” or “The same but cheaper”. Should generic medicine be more accessible? Tags: Antigua Daily Photo / Antigua / Guatemala / Dr. Simi Balloon / … Read more

Transnational: Tender, Juicy & Crunchy

That is right, the three-word slogan belongs to Guatemala’s transnational company Pollo Campero (Country Chicken) which is now in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Spain (China is coming next). “Globalization isn’t just about McDonald’s going overseas; a number of international fast food chains are also moving to … Read more

Transnational: I’m loving it

The clown moves according to Antigüeño’s urban legend. Actually, there had been “sightings” of the McDonald’s clown moving through Latin America. I leave you with a couple of google-translated stories: 1. McDonald’s Against the World? 2. The truth of the McDonald’s case Are there such stories in your part of the world? Tags: Antigua Daily … Read more

Transnational: 30 minutes or less

With this photo I will begin a series on transnational companies in La Antigua Guatemala. Domino’s Pizza is very popular here, as it is evident through the many motorbikes for delivery and on this opposing photo you can see the Domino’s Pizza sign and their very short order telephone number 1730. Guatemala’s telephone number system … Read more

Guatemala’s Real Wealth is its Biodiversity

Men of Maize Revisited! “There was consensus and it was decided to bring the purple maize, the yellow maize, the red maize and the white maize and from these our bones were made, our blood, our meat.” —Popol Vuh «Hubo consenso y se decidió que viniera el maíz morado, el maíz amarillo, el maíz rojo … Read more

Corn and beans are the foundation of the Guatemalan diet

Guatemala 1 Monsanto 0 Guatemala repealed the ‘Monsanto Law’ pushed by the United States as part of the “free” trade agreement. The ‘Law for the Protection of New Plant Varieties,’ dubbed the ‘Monsanto Law’ by critics for its formidable seed-privatization provisions, is an obligation for all nations that signed the 2005 CAFTA-DR free trade agreement … Read more

Portraits of Guatemalan Filmmaker Luis Argueta

Portrait of Guatemalan Filmmaker Luis Argueta by photographer Rudy Giron

A while ago I had the great opportunity to make some portraits of Guatemalan filmmaker Luis Argueta. In case you don’t know who Luis Argueta is, here’s a brief bio taken directly from IMDb: “Luis Argueta is a director and producer, known for El silencio de Neto (1994), Collect Call (2002) and AbUSed: The Postville … Read more

Resistance is Futile

Pollo Campero is Guatemala’s most successful transnational company. With its tender, juicy and crunchy fried chicken, Campero has done what other Central American companies can only dream of, take their brand the world over. There are now many business schools and consultants doing Pollo Campero case studies. Pollo Campero: Conquering the World of Fried Chicken … Read more